As Stoiber Looks Past Economy,
His Campaign Hits Shaky Ground

BERLIN -- When he strays from the economic issues that made him popular, Edmund Stoiber, the conservative challenger to German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, enters uncertain territory.

Mr. Stoiber made a name for himself as the governor of Bavaria, a prosperous southern state that is predominantly Catholic and where his conservative Christian Social Union has ruled for decades. As Germany's economy began to slide and voters grew dissatisfied with the economic policies of the center-left government, it was Bavaria's upbeat image...